Costa Blanca Local Bus Services

Unless you regularly use public transport and are fluent in Spanish, the Costa Blanca's local bus services can be as mysterious as the ‘Bermuda Triangle' and are often avoided at all costs by holidaymakers. Given the amount of foreign visitors to the Costa Blanca each year, the majority being English speakers, it is a great pity the ministry of transport and local councils have not made more of an effort to make the local bus services more user friendly to foreign visitors. Whether they assume all holidaymakers can afford to hire a car or take taxis wherever they go, or it's just an issue they haven't got around to addressing, the fact remains that the local bus services could be available to so many more commuters if better information was available .

Using Local Bus Services

There are two main local bus services in Costa Blanca, the Alsa Bus Company that mainly services the central and northern regions, and Costa Azul that predominantly operates in the south. This being the case, depending on the distance you are travelling, you could be using Costa Azul to travel say from Torrevieja to Alicante and if wishing to go further north to Benidorm, you would board an Alsa bus in Alicante for the forward journey.

This may seem confusing, but if you write down a few relevant Spanish words or phrases and give yourself enough time get timetables from the ticket office at whatever bus terminus you're travelling from, and check departure times, it really isn't much of a problem. Bus services are usually regular, if not always on time, and most drivers do understand some English and will try to help, especially if they see you are making an effort with your Spanish.

Again, if you are in a rush for whatever reason, don't take a bus because your effort to save a taxi fare is really not worth the stress. The same principal applies to inner city travel, give yourself time, talk to the bus driver and if possible sit or stand close to the driver as this will enable them to tell you when you are at your correct stop. The main thing to remember is, you're on holiday so take it easy, make sure you have plenty of time, and enjoy the adventure.